Clean diesel trucks are taking over

WASHINGTON, D.C. – US trucks are going green.

According to recent data, more than 40% of all medium and heavy-duty diesel commercial trucks in operation in the United States are currently equipped with newer technology clean diesel engines, according to new Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) analysis of IHS Automotive vehicles in operation statistics.

The new analysis includes IHS automotive vehicles in operation representing Class 3-8 diesel trucks from model year 2007-2015.

“The US trucking fleet is transitioning to newer clean diesel technology which means immediate fuel savings, lower greenhouse gas emissions and cleaner air,” said Allen Schaeffer, the executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. “This newest generation of clean diesel trucks have nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions that are 99% lower than previous generations along with 98% fewer emissions of particulate matter, resulting in significant clean air benefits throughout the US.

“Because diesel overwhelmingly dominates the heavy-duty truck sector and is also the number one power source for medium-duty vehicles, the transition to newer generations of clean diesel technology is significant. Beyond the clean air benefits, Model Year 2010 and newer trucks also achieve three to five percent improvements in fuel economy and lower emissions of greenhouse gases.

“There are now four states – Indiana, Utah, Oklahoma and Texas – where more than 50% of the registered diesel trucks are the newer cleaner trucks. And in 2015, Oregon had the largest increase in the nation of newer diesel truck registrations with a 35% increase over 2014. California has the largest fleet of commercial truck registrations on an absolute number basis, however, it ranks near the bottom for adoption of newer trucks on a percentage basis, based on our analysis.”